Riverdale star and Beverly Hills, 90210 actor Luke Perry has died, his representatives confirmed to the Associated Press. He was 52.
Perry was hospitalized following a massive stroke in his Sherman Oaks home last week.
Perry (whose full name was Coy Luther "Luke" Perry III) portrayed Fred Andrews, father of KJ Apa's Archie, for three seasons on The CW's Riverdale. The final episode of the season just wrapped. Perry's final performance will be in Quentin Tarantino's upcoming film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, where he will portray "Scotty Lancer," the character played by Wayne Maunder on the CBS western series Lancer.
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After stints on daytime soaps in the late '80s, Perry rose to fame with his portrayal of California "bad boy" Dylan McKay on Beverly Hills, 90210. The series ran from 1990 to 2000, with Perry appearing in just shy of 200 episodes.
Perry worked consistently after the end of Beverly Hills, 90210, with roles on shows like Oz, John From Cincinnati, and Body of Proof.
Riverdale introduced Perry to a new generation. His character, Fred, is the moral centre of the show.
Offscreen, Perry would often share sage wisdom with the younger cast. After Apa received negative comments online, he went to Perry for advice.
"[Luke] said, 'Y'know, this kind of thing happens all the time, it's nothing to do with you,'" Apa told Teen Vogue. "But I went to him and I spoke to him and he helped me. He's the biggest legend, and obviously he went through the whole thing on a way bigger scale than even Riverdale, you know Beverly Hills 90210 was massive, so I think he is the best guy to talk to, and I'm really close with him."
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